Counter Conversations
by alindy
Summary: How she ended up sitting on a counter with George Weasley, licorice, and no wands while a killer mouse swarmed below she'd never know. She was seriously going to kill Charlie for going on that date...


**This is my twin exchange challenge entry using the following:**

**Prompt: _Mouse, _Pairing: _Hermione/George, _Quotes: _"Look out below!", and _Theme: _Anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts_**

**Enjoy_!_**

* * *

><p>"George? You here? Charlie? The door said you were closed so I just came in and- OH MY GOODNESS! A MOUSE!" Hermione squealed, jumping up on the counter as she screamed at the top of her lungs.<p>

She watched as the mouse squeaked and walked around where she had just been standing seconds ago. "Ok Jerry, why don't you just go away and let me get out of here, and then you can just go on eating through boxes and…eating cheese or whatever it is you do."

The mouse stared up at her for a second before it continued to scurry around in front of her. "Shucks. Well that worked well…"

Hermione grumbled while repositioning herself so she would be comfortable for the long time she knew she could possibly be here. She wasn't even _supposed_ to be here. She'd only come because Charlie had some kind of date and no one else said they'd be able to take over for him. Hermione originally had said a strong no, but a few minutes of George on his knees in front of her and his pouty face in full throttle, she had no other option but to agree.

"Hermione? I'm sorry I'm late but I couldn't remember if you liked the original licorice or the special flavored stuff. I wanted to make sure that I got you something you liked but I couldn't remember. I just ended up buying a package of each," George rambled as he walked into the room with the bag in his hand.

"Why are you sitting on the counter? Jus- SHIT A MOUSE!" George screamed. He jumped on the counter with her, nearly knocking her off, and grabbed her quickly to make sure she didn't fall. "Sorry, sorry."

"George! Do something! You're supposed to be the manly man in this situation…stomp it or something," Hermione exclaimed, flailing her arms wildly.

George repositioned himself so he was sitting straight up instead of pushing on Hermione and making her slip. She sat crossed legged beside him, crossed her arms, and looked at him pointedly.

"Are you mad because I just dropped the bag with the licorice? Because I'm _sorry_ about that. Oh, and which flavor _is_ your favorite? I'm sure the mouse won't even think to go eat it if that's what you're worried about," George responded.

"Would you shut up about the flipping licorice? Why do you even care about it so much?" Hermione fumed.

"I was just curious," he pouted, moving himself so that he was turned away from her.

"Are you pouting?" Hermione began to laugh slightly. "Stop pouting and get us out of this situation, because as wonderful as I'm sure being stuck up on this counter with you would be, I'd like to be out of here before I'm a hundred."

"The skepticism in your voice when you said it would be wonderful to be stuck up here with me is not appreciated," he crossed his arms as he stayed looking in the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I'm sure being stuck up here with you would be just lovely."

"Great," George instantly cheered up, turning towards her abruptly. "Wand? I left mine up in the flat and I know a spell that'll get us out of here easily."

"Wand," Hermione said, hitting her forehead with her hand. "I'm a witch and I couldn't think to use my wand! Goodness gracious…" Hermione rolled her eyes at her own stupidity, handing George her wand.

"Ok, accio licorice," George stated confidently, putting his hand out and grabbing for it.

"Oh my gosh, seriously!" Hermione exclaimed. "Give me back my wand and I'll do something about this."

"No, I got it, stop pulling. I just wanted some licorice!" he answered while pulling the wand from her, causing himself to get a little off balance.

"You could have just gotten the licorice once you got rid of the mouse!" she tugged her wand back.

"Oh yea," George stopped suddenly, causing Hermione to jolt back because she had been pulling so hard. The wand slipped out of her hands and landed a few feet away from where the mouse currently stood.

"Look out below, 'low, 'low," George said, cupping his hands around his mouth and pretending to create an echo.

"Now we're never getting out of here! You jerk!" Hermione wailed.

"We have licorice though," he attempted to smile charmingly.

"Original, by the way," she mumbled grumpily.

"What was that?"

"I like the original better," she spoke up clearer.

"Interesting. You're not going to completely hate me if I open one of the bags up, will you?"

"Only if you let me have some," Hermione smiled unwillingly.

"Course. Hey, why don't you swear?" George questioned as he ripped open the bag of original flavored licorice and gave her a piece.

"I swear," she defended.

"No you don't. Since we got up on this counter, all I've heard has been 'goodness', 'jerk', and 'flipping'. Just admit it Hermione, you couldn't swear if your life depended on it," George replied casually.

"I could too!" she gasped.

"Ok, repeat after me…shit."

"Sh- sh- shoot, this is a really stupid test of my ability to swear!" Hermione accused, pointing her finger at him angrily.

"Fine, I'll give you an easier one. Damn."

"This is really stupid. I see no reason why I should swear just to prove to you I can swear. Didn't your mother ever teach you swearing was bad?" Hermione concluded with a strong nod of her head.

"Yea, but haven't you learned over the years that I'm not exactly, Mr. Follow-the-rules?" George queried as he took another piece of licorice from the bag.

"I suppose so…" she trailed off, chuckling quietly as she repositioned herself again, and settled in for the long day that she knew awaited her.

* * *

><p>"Favorite color?" George asked.<p>

"Green, but not Slytherin green, like a chipper green," Hermione replied as she continued to play with George's hair because of the new location of his head: in her lap.

"Chipper green? Ok, I'll make sure to remember that," he laughed.

"Yea? Well if chipper green is so stupid, what's _your_ favorite color?"

"Orange…but like a, _chipper_ orange," George teased.

"Oh, hardy har har," she responded. "If all you're going to do is tease, then maybe I won't play with your hair anymore!"

"No, no," he exclaimed suddenly, eyes going wide. "I'll be nice, I promise. I like when you play with my hair."

"Ok you nut," she sniggered. "Favorite product?"

"From my own store or any store?"

"Your own," she answered. Hermione stopped playing with his hair and lay down beside him on the counter, staying close to him so she didn't fall off.

"I'd have to say the love potions. I worked bloody hard on them and I was nearly permanently infatuated with Fred because of a backfired prototype."

"You were not!" she gasped happily.

"Was too!" he said, smiling widely.

"I'm sure that's an interesting story," she prompted.

"Sure is. Lee wouldn't talk to me for a while afterwards because he was afraid I was gay and secretly in love with him. It also didn't help that it was right around the Yule ball that this happened, meaning that once some of the girls found out, they were a little afraid to accept my offer."

"Oh, poor George!" Hermione sympathized. She laid her head down on his chest and pulled herself closer. "You could have always asked me."

"Not unless I wanted to be killed. Krum is a scary bloke, and he looked at you like a possession with a large 'don't touch' sign. Plus, if Krum hadn't asked you, I'm sure Cedric would have. Sketchy bloke Cedric was, sketchy bloke."

"He was in no way a sketchy bloke, he was a fine gentleman! And how does him wanting to ask me to the Yule ball make him a sketchy bloke? You are delusional," Hermione protested.

"No, it has nothing to do with you, I'm just pretty sure he was a questionable guy," George defended.

"You're still mad he beat you during that Quidditch game, aren't you?" she declared.

"Nope," he denied, sounding somewhat like a child because of the way he clearly affirmed Hermione's statement. Even with two best guy friends, sports were the one thing she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around. How all of the guys around her seemed to care so much, and put so much feeling into only one game, she would never understand.

"Ok, favorite drink?" Hermione changed the subject.

"That reminds me, I'm incredibly thirsty," George spoke up, pulling out his wand from his back pocket. Hermione sat up quickly and looked at him with eyes filled with fire.

"George," she began tensely, "why do you have a wand in your pocket that you didn't tell me about?"

"Oh, this old thing," he waved his hand nonchalantly. "I just completely forgot I had it on me."

"George," she gritted out between her teeth.

"Before you blow up, I'd like to admit something else to you right away," George spoke cautiously as he jumped off the counter, walked over to the mouse, and picked it up by the tail. "The mouse isn't real, it's just a new product I created."

"George!" Hermione screamed while she jumped off the counter and stalked over to him. "What the hell! Damn it George, what in the name of Merlin would possess you to do such a thing! We've been stuck up there for six hours, SIX HOURS! I'm thirsty, hungry, and I'm pretty sure my left leg will NEVER wake up!"

"Wow, that was two swears, I'm quite impressed. Calm down Gra-"

"Don't you Granger me, Weasley. You better give me a damn good reason in the next five seconds or I will curse you so bad Ginny's bat bogey hex would seem like a calm walk on a beach!" Hermione fumed as she accentuated every one of her words with a poke to his chest.

"I wanted to spend time with you!" he yelled quickly with his hands up in defeat.

"Spend time with me?" Hermione asked calmer than before.

"I rarely ever get any alone time with you and I thought that if we got to talking and stuff, then maybe I could ask you to the party in honor of the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts and you would say yes!" George pleaded. He watched as with every word he said her eyes got softer and her angry stance became even-tempered and collected.

"You do realize we would have been working all day today together, mostly alone, right?" she pointed out.

"Um…I didn't really thi-"

"And that I would have readily agreed if you had just asked me straight out to go with you, or we could have talked just as easily in a restaurant?"

"We wouldn't have gotten to cuddle that way though," George defended lightly.

"None of that mister, you're on very thin ice right now. You are going to take me out to eat _right_ now because all I've eaten today is two bags of licorice and a frozen waffle. Then tomorrow you will pick me up at eight o' clock to take me to that party. Are we clear?" Hermione spoke.

"Crystal," George nodded.

George grabbed his wallet off the counter, picked up his and Hermione's wands, handed hers to her, and then held his arm out, which she took. He was about to mention that she had a mark on her face that looked like a button from his shirt, probably from when she laid down on him, but decided not to mention it: she'd figure it out later when she went to the bathroom at the restaurant (you can't very well sit on a counter for hours on end and not have to _pee_).

Besides, she looked so _cute_ when she was angry.


End file.
